There are many people running to replace Harry Thomas, Jr. as the Councilmember for Ward 5. But only one will make a real difference as soon as he is elected to the Council. That person is Democrat Kenyan McDuffie. He will make the people of Ward 5 proud.
Kenyan McDuffie is a third generation Washingtonian with an understanding of what it means to move the District forward while still respecting the needs of those who have lived here all their lives. Kenyan will truly make his slogan come true for the people of the District: "Restoring Our Faith in Leadership."
The Ward 5 race is an opportunity to elect new leadership but that leadership needs to be in sync with the principles and beliefs of those who live here. Clearly if we elect someone who supports the principles and tenets of the Republican Party they don't share most of the principles that the residents of the District believe in.
In so many ways the City is doing well. There are literally billions of dollars of economic development pouring into the District and we have balanced budgets and a reserve fund that is the envy of many states. Ward 5 needs to elect someone who will work and fight for them and focus on the issues of concern to the residents that live there.
Kenyan McDuffie is that person. He is a parent of two daughters with a personal interest in improving schools for all our children. He understands from his own experience what it means to work hard; get an education and achieve success. He is the first male in his family to graduate college and he did so with honors from Howard University. He went on to earn his law degree at the University of Maryland Law School. Kenyan has shown an unstinting commitment to public service and to his community. He has been president of his neighborhood's civic association; a board member of the McKinley Technology Campus Corporation which helped to reopen that school; and worked with members of other civic associations and the ANC to solve problems, improve services and achieve successes for the people of Ward 5.
Kenyan will bring to the Council a firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of both the District and federal governments. He worked for Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and then for the District in the area of economic development. In addition to his knowledge of local government and Ward 5 he will be able to speak up for the principles of the Democratic Party that are so important to the overwhelming majority of people in the District of Columbia. He will support working people and fight to ensure that everyone has their full civil and human rights.
Kenyan is part of the next generation of political leaders that will make the District of Columbia the best place in the nation to live, work and recreate. He represents the best choice for the future.